This post originated as a note for engravers interested in the faithful representation of United States Merchant Mariners of the Second World War – and the later years, in particular, when there was a surge in individuals joining the fleet.
1. Note on officer caps and cap badges
Liberty ship masters (captains) and licensed officers – more often than not – wore the insignia of the United States Maritime Service (USMS). The USMS was a voluntary organization that prescribed uniforms and caps of the same cut and design as those of the U.S. Navy (and U.S. Coast Guard), except they had different insignia. The insignia of the USMS underwent a change in mid-1943 – I would suggest consulting photographs post-1943 for insignia as this period’s is the most recognized and remains the insignia of the USMS today.
1.1 1941 – mid-1943
This note concerns Liberty ship officer headwear, in specific: the representation of caps and accouterments.
The central individual is Captain Hugh Mulzac at the delivery of the SS Booker T. Washington. The cap he wears is of the 1941 through mid-1943 vintage; the device on the cap is generally unknown today. Although not visible, the visor is black patent leather without ornamentation.
1.2 Mid-1943 – postwar
When the United States Maritime Service changed its uniform regulations in 1943, it visually aligned itself with the U.S. Navy. An innovation in 1943 was senior ranking USMS members could wear caps with “scrambled eggs” on the visor; these were embroidered oak leaf and acorn clusters. Officers in the U.S. Navy with the rank of Commander and higher – e.g., those who commanded a larger warship – wore caps with these sorts of visors. Merchant Mariners who also commanded a merchant ship wore visors with the same. All other officers wore visors without ornamentation.
Using the diagram above: (1) Chin straps were of importance. When a chin strap is shown “smooth” in an illustration, it is indicative of a black patent leather strap. Officers aboard Liberty ships wore chin straps made of gold lace with a leather backing; the lace pattern is similar to the braid worn on their service coat cuffs. You will notice two parallel ridges or bands on the strap; period illustrators went through great pains to correctly illustrate the chin strap. The (circled) chin strap slides were made of the same lace and were about the same width as the strap itself. Often, the slides’ leading-edge aligned with the outside edge of the eyebrow. Chin straps came in one length; the shorter the strap, the greater the cap’s circumference.
There was a black mohair band that ran around the bottom of the cap. The pad on which the cap badge was affixed was sewn behind the cap band – it is also known as the cap badge’s backing. Embroidered cap badges were sewn directly on the cap band and pad construction; the stamped metal badge was affixed in the center of the construction by bolts. (2) You may notice stitches to either side of the cap badge – these were to strengthen the pad. (3) The pad also had parallel lines with an arching top. As the pool of manufacturers of Maritime Service expanded, there was a variation in pad configuration; some made in 1944-1945 had a half-oval shape to them – see the examples below. Pads never had a U.S. Navy configuration.
1.4 Cap badges
There were two types of Maritime Service Eagles worn on the cap: embroidered and stamped metal. Stamped metal badges were initially supposed to be facsimiles of the embroidered. As the war wore on, masters were the only ones who wore embroidered devices, making them something of a prestige item. Below find examples of each:
Embroidered cap badge worn by a master; visor has “scrambled eggs.”
Above are two of the most common variations of the stamped metal badge – note the laurels do not extend beyond the wings’ tips. The wreath has six leaves on each side. The badge to the right is from 1945 – note the quality control on the pad is lacking; however, the wreath is closer to the embroidered cap badge’s design. The loop at the bottom of the badge is a stylized continuation of the cable (rope) fouling (wrapping around) the anchor. Note the shape of the pad – the left is a Vanguard-manufactured device, it is on a pad with horizontal edges; the right is a Gemsco-manufactured device, it is on an oval-shaped pad.
2. Note on unlicensed personnel hats
A merchant ship comprised various groups, each with different modes of dress depending upon their trade and position aboard the ship.
Unionism, coupled with the American Merchant Mariner’s fierce independence, contributed to a culture that eschewed the wear of a uniform among the unlicensed crew. The United States Maritime Service was responsible for the training of unlicensed Merchant Mariners – many of who make up today’s veterans. The USMS tried to regiment their trainees and, as such, dressed them in uniforms. All except the more practical uniform items made it into a mariner’s seabag when they left the training station. Those items that were quickly discarded were the white or dark blue U.S. Navy-style enlisted man’s cap (depending upon the season when the trainee enrolled). The blue hats appeared in 1943 because the U.S. Navy did not like Merchant Mariners looking too much like U.S. Navy sailors. However, some Merchant Mariners kept their hats and wore them when not on ship. In terms of appropriateness, depicting a Merchant Mariner in this hat style is not advised.
Here is an example of a hat in question:
3. Note on officer uniforms
Officers aboard ships had two types of dress: a six-button blue coat (also called a reefer) and white shirt with a tie and a three-button khaki coat and a khaki shirt with a black tie. The khaki uniform was predominantly a working uniform – the blue coat was often reserved for onshore use. The khaki shirt had devices on each collar tip – these were most commonly rank devices, which were the same as the U.S. Navy and a USMS officer wreath device. Some officers wore them; others did not. The khaki coat also had shoulder boards – the same type a U.S. Navy officer wore, only with different devices (USMS or anchors) above the stripes.
To represent an officer at work, the best way to indicate they were in a khaki coat is to put rank devices on their collar tips. The USMS officer wreath device was on the wearer’s left, while the rank device was to the left.